Solution Processable 1D Fullerene C₆₀ Crystals for Visible Spectrum Photodetectors

Abstract Visible spectrum photodetector devices fabricated using molecular crystals of carbon C₆₀ are reported. The devices operate efficiently, extending over and beyond the full visible light spectrum (300–710 nm) with a bias voltage tunable responsivity of 4 mA–0.5 mA W⁻¹. Across this range of wavelengths, the noise equivalent power of these devices remains below 10² nW Hz^−1/2, providing a detectivity of 10⁷ Jones. The noise current in these devices is found to have a strong dependence on both bias voltage and frequency, varying by 4 orders of magnitude from 1 nA Hz^−1/2 to 0.1 pA Hz^−1/2. The devices also display a near‐linear dependence of photocurrent on light intensity over 4 orders of magnitude, providing a dynamic range approaching 80 dB. The 3 dB bandwidth of the devices is found to be above 10² Hz, while the 18 dB bandwidth exceeds 1 kHz. The transient photocurrents of the devices have a rise time of ≈50 µs and a long fall time of ≈4 ms. The spectral photocurrent of the devices is found to quench gradually with a reduction in temperature from ≈300 K and is fully quenched at temperatures below T ≈ 100 K. Upon reheating, the device performance is fully recovered.